ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between serum sialic acid and cardiovascular risk factors in Egyptian children and adolescents with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes mellitus. The study included 40 [25 males and 15 females] type 1 diabetic children aged 4 to 16 years and 20 non diabetic healthy controls with age and sex matched. All children were subjected to full clinical examination, blood pressure measurement, anthropometrical measurements [weight, height, body mass index]. The children were investigated for biochemical variables: total cholesterol [TC], triglycerides [TG], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL], fasting blood glucose [FBG], glycated hemoglobin [HbA1c] serum sialic acid [TSA] and serum creatinine. There was no significant difference between mean serum TSA in type 1diabetic children [69.77 +/- 8.38] and their controls [67.77 +/- 7.7]. In diabetic children, mean serum TSA was significantly higher in females [72.03 +/- 3.04] than in males [67.29 +/- 8.7] p<0.05. Significant correlations were found between serum TSA and each of diabetic duration [p,0.02], BMI [p, 0.01], cardiovascular risk factors: TC [p,0.01], TG [p, 0.001], LDL [p, 0.0001]. In diabetic children mean serum TSA was significantly higher in children with family history of cardiovascular disease [p, 9.04], BMI [kg/m 2] >/= 85 percentile [p, 0.03], poor glycemic control; HbA1c >9% [p, 0.02], raised LDL [p, 0.03]. Serum TSA might be considered as a marker for cardiovascular disease [CVD] risk factor, especially in diabetic children